Texte grec :
| [9,20] τί δέ; εἰ χωλοὶ πάντες
ἦσαν οἱ τρέχοντες, ἐχρῆν σε μέγα φρονεῖν, ὅτι χωλοὺς {οὐ} χωλὸς
ἔφθης; τοιαῦτα δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον διαλεγόμενος πολλοὺς
ἐποίησε τῶν παρόντων καταφρονῆσαι τοῦ πράγματος, κἀκεῖνον
αὐτὸν λυπούμενον ἀπελθεῖν καὶ πολὺ ταπεινότερον.
(9,21) τοῦτο δὲ οὐ
μικρὸν παρεῖχε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ὁπότε ἴδοι τινὰ μάτην ἐπαιρόμενον
καὶ διὰ πρᾶγμα οὐδενὸς ἄξιον ἔξω τοῦ φρονεῖν, συστείλας
ἐπὶ βραχὺ καὶ ἀφελὼν μικρόν τι τῆς ἀνοίας, ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ πεφυσημένα
καὶ οἰδοῦντα νύξαντες ἢ σείσαντες.
(9,22) ἐν δὲ τούτῳ θεασάμενος ἵππους ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ δεδεμένους,
ἔπειτα μαχομένους τε καὶ λακτίζοντας αὑτούς, καὶ πολὺν ὄχλον
περιεστῶτας καὶ θεωμένους, ἕως καμὼν ὁ ἕτερος ἔφυγεν ἀπορρήξας
προσελθὼν ἐστεφάνωσε τὸν μένοντα καὶ ἀνεκήρυττεν ὡς Ἰσθμιονίκην,
ὅτι λακτίζων ἐνίκησεν. ἐπὶ τούτῳ γέλως καὶ θόρυβος ἦν
ἁπάντων, καὶ τὸν Διογένην πολλοὶ ἐθαύμαζον καὶ τῶν ἀθλητῶν
κατεγέλων, καί τινας ἀπελθεῖν φασιν οὐκ ἰδόντας αὐτούς—ὅσοι
κακῶς ἐσκήνουν ἢ καὶ τούτου ἠπόρουν.
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Traduction française :
| [9,20] Then again, if all the runners had been lame, would it have been right for you to
take on airs because, being lame yourself, you had outstripped lame men?"
As he spoke to the man in this vein, he made the business of foot-racing seem cheap
in the eyes of many of the bystanders and caused the winner himself to go away
sorrowing and much meeker. 21 And this was no small service which he rendered to
mankind whenever he discovered anyone who was foolishly puffed up and lost to all
reason on account of some worthless thing; for he would humble the man a little and
relieve him of some small part of his folly, even as one pricks or punctures inflated
and swollen parts.
22 On this occasion he saw two horses that were hitched together fall to fighting and
kicking each other, with a large crowd standing by and looking on, until one of the
animals, becoming exhausted, broke loose and ran off. Then Diogenes came up and
placed a crown upon the head of the horse that had stood its ground and proclaimed
it winner of an Isthmian prize, because it had "won in kicking." At this there was a
general laugh and uproar, while many applauded Diogenes and derided the athletes.
They say, too, that some persons actually left without witnessing their performances
— those who had poor lodgings or none.
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